To.
Elizabeth Singleton, Ph. D. Psychology, M.A.S.
Psychology Department
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia.
Dear Dr. Singleton
Subject: Recent findings on how military stressors effect military families.
I am writing to you in light of the recent research findings on the unique
challenges military families face and how their relationships are affected. In
both articles the quality of the relationships between the soldier and their child,
the spouse and their child, and between the soldier and their spouse had a
considerable influence on how all family members dealt with the particular
stresses that stem from the military life. The condition of these relationships
also had a direct correlation with how military families individually coped with
the military stressors.
In the first article from Military Psychology (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander,
2020) a probability sample of 1,558 military members and their spouses were
surveyed about how particular worries and initiatives influenced the family
members attitude toward homecoming tensions. The sample was comprised
mainly of couples (86.2%) who were married for about one year and had at
least one offspring (59.3%). f Most of the spouses (93.9%) were female,
Caucasian (76.2%) non-Hispanic with almost ninety percent of spouses having
not ever been in the military. A majority of the service members were enlisted
(89.5%) active duty (87.1%) but differed in only fifty-six percent were in the
Army and the rest of the participants were in other branches of service
(Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020). The dependent variable of homecoming
stress and the independent variables of: individual improvement, the current
PTSD of soldiers examined, both spouses aspects of their well- being
parentheses physical and mental parentheses using VR-36, as well as
alterations in both mental and physical well-being, each spouses’ control on
different life aspects, how spouses viewed their correspondence with their
spouses, the community backing, and spouses economic hardship (Mallonne,
Riggs, & and Stander, 2020). f The data was assessed utilizing univariate
testing and Q-Q plots, designs of conclusions and contrast to the proposed
outcomes, and of remains in contrast to row numbers as well as correlation
matrices analyzed (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020) . They also used
bivariate regression analysis approximating part of the correlations and various
regressions. The results of the study prove the mental well- being of both the
military member and spouse were correlated to their stress over homecoming
time so much that it caused a diminished mental well- being. Spouses felt
more tension about the homecoming due to their apprehensiveness over their
deployment correspondence. The soldiers’ and spouses’ self-control were not
as diagnostically as vital as previously proposed. The assumption about spouse
development was less related to homecoming stress and more linked to
deployment correspondence and how it would affect the homecoming between
soldiers and their spouses (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020).
The current findings are in accord with prior studies and that stress related
improvement is linked to constructive results. While these latest findings
conflict with what researchers previously thought about how the adjustments
influenced each spouse and their capacity to progress from being separated to
being reunited (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020). During the deployments
couples had issues with correspondence thus leading to stress when time for
homecoming, but with briefings before deployments and counseling for the
soldiers and their spouses (Mallonne, Riggs, & and Stander, 2020)the military
feels they can ease the strain on families and facilitate better communication
with service members and their spouses.
In the second article by Farnsworth and O’Neal, they asked the question of
what potential components caused the effects on the adaptability of the
military child. The sample size of 265 military families with one service
member parent and one civilian parent were taken at one army post using
printed flyers and signage at the youth center on one post along with radio
announcements about partaking in a computer survey (Farnsworth & O'Neal,
2021). The variables analyzed were; parents rank, combat deployments,
separation times, post relocations, living off post, and the conditions of
relationships the child had with each parent, symptoms of anxiety and
depression, self -efficacy, and personal welfare, the child age and gender
parentheses female parentheses, and the framework of the family (Farnsworth
& O'Neal, 2021). All of these variables were tested utilizing descriptive statistics
and bivariate correlations. A majority of service members were enlisted (87.9%)
parentheses and many had deployed from one to three times, and 86% of the
service members were male (Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021).
A majority of the military worries were not as notable a factor in relation to
the condition of the parent child relationship. However, the amount of combat
deployments was affiliated with the condition of their relationship with both
civilian and military parents for girls, but not the boys. The other exemption
was the rank appearance which had a positive effect on personal welfare and
self-efficacy. The higher rank is considered a better socioeconomic position.
They called that deployment had a negative impact on self-efficacy.
The results of this study were contradictory to the hypothesis that they had
previously stated in their research in their case study and along with other
empirical research found that military stresses were not as straightforwardly
effective on the children's ability to adapt as they had anticipated
(Easterbrook's et al., 2013). In closing this research was conducted using a
societal environment as well as principles that assert how significant the
bonding of parents with their children (Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021). The
adversity of the military was in large part independent from the juvenile's
perception of their relationships with their parents or how they adapted to life,
but instead it affirmed how the structure of military families consist of a
resilient unit. The relationship the children had with both their military parent
and their civilian parent was significant in how well the children could adapt
(Farnsworth & O'Neal, 2021). Both of these studies prove that the quality of
the relationships between service members and their families is crucial to how
well each member does or does not cope with the unique military lifestyle and
all it entails during not only deployments, but day to day living. f I look forward
to your thoughts on further research.
V/R,
Julie Eversole, M.A.S.
References
Farnsworth, M. L., & O'Neal, C. W. (2021). Military Stressors, Parent-Adolescent
Relationship Quality, and Adolescent Adjustment. Journal of Child and Family
Studies, 30:2718–2731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02106-y
Mallonne, S., Riggs, D., & and Stander, V. (2020). The impact of family
stressors and resources on military spouse’s perception of post-deployment
reunion stress. Military Psychology, Vol. 32, No.6, 369-379. The impact of family
stressors and resources on military spouse’s perception of post-deployment
reunion stress: Military Psychology: Vol 32, No 6 (tandfonline.com)
